Electroactive polymers (EAPs) are materials that change shape, or deflect, in response to an applied voltage or electric field. Ionic, wet, or electrochemical EAPs may deflect due to ionic mass transport in response to an applied voltage. Actuators, artificial muscles, and other applications and devices use EAPs to convert electrical potential to force, and electrical energy to mechanical energy. Devices may include, for example, linear actuators and rotary motion devices. Applications such as medical devices, robotics, biomimetics, mechatronics, vehicles, aerospace systems, micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), entertainment devices, sensors for, e.g., vibration, and the like may employ EAPs.
It is an ongoing challenge in the field to provide increased force generation for any given EAP application. For example, in applications with weight constraints, such as robotic aircraft, it is desirable to provide increased EAP performance at lower weight. The present application appreciates that generating force in electroactive polymers may be a challenging endeavor.